Billions of dollars are leaking out of 401(k) plans as workers lose their jobs and cannot repay loans from their plans. This has stirred some to call for insurance policies that would restore 401(k) money lost through loans that …
Financial Planning
Are Dividend Stocks the Next Bubble?
Dividend stocks are leading the market and some pundits believe the rally is a bubble about to end badly. But they may be underestimating the flood of income-starved retiree money heading this direction in a record low-yield environment.
Millionaires Can Afford to Play It Safe — For The Rest of Us, It’s A Risky Strategy
Domestic stocks are the No. 1 place that millionaires have been putting their money in the past year, according to a Fidelity survey, which runs directly counter to the behavior of the average investor.
Day-Trading Your 401(k): Bad Idea, or the Worst Idea?
Back in the wild and woolly and, well, more innocent days of the tech stock boom — you remember it, don’t you? — it seemed like everyone and his brother and second cousin twice removed had taken up day-trading. To a lot of …
The “Action Gap”: Why Workers Refuse to Save More for Retirement
New research uncovers a vexing problem: The typical worker can readily find an additional 5% to 10% in their budget to put away for retirement. But they don’t do it because they are unsure what moves to make.
Proof That Workplace Financial Education Works
One-on-one financial counseling at the office leads to higher savings rates and other wise money choices, a new study shows. Other research in this area is conflicting. But employers are embracing the benefit.
Retirement Savings: 11 Times Final Pay is the New Target
How much do you need to retire? It’s the cosmic question of our day and a new report from Aon Hewitt puts forth a simple answer. But this won’t be the last word on the subject.
Why It’s Good That 76 Percent of Women Reported Being Their Household’s Primary Retirement Planner
A new report shows that more women are taking on a greater role in investing and family financial planning — and this could spell great news for the economy.
Financial Fraud: How to Avoid the Grandparent Scam
Scam artists have a new method: pose as a youngster in trouble in a foreign country and get Grandma to wire money. You’d be surprised how often it works.
Selling Your Dream for Cash: The Unfortunate Mainstreaming of the Reverse Mortgage
A new report shows that the reverse mortgage remains a confusing product, but that it has gone mainstream nonetheless and represents an unnerving erosion of homeowners’ financial safety net.
The Barclays LIBOR Scandal Is a Clear Case for Greater Consumer Protection
When it comes to managing personal financial affairs, there is only so much an individual can know. For years, the financial literacy movement missed that.
Women and Money: Even College Grads Flunk Personal Finance
One of the chief conclusions that financial literacy experts have drawn in recent years is that college graduates typically know enough to manage their money reasonably well. Now, a new study looking specifically at educated …